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The Swamp King's Blessing

by Fenrirsblood

Ever since they were young children, they had played at the edge of the swamp, where the reeds broke and the twisted trees towered with moss over the muck. Countless times, they stretched out on old logs and watched the beauty of that place unfold, admiring the endless tapestry of frogs and insects echo from its heart. They dared not cross the threshold into the darkest parts of the marsh, for humans weren't welcome there, and their parents would've lashed them both if they'd found out. Even then, as teens, young Kye and Lani had ventured too far one summer day, and they had stumbled upon some woodsmen from a village across the river trying to cut down a beautiful and venerable mangrove. At once the teens pretended to be crazed mandrills, caking their faces with mud and tossing bundles of moss in their hair, and they threw rocks at the men, howling and hooting to drive them away. To this day, the old tree still stands. And on the anniversary of that sweltering afternoon, not long after the youths had vowed to marry and travel beyond their quaint village, the memory of that time came flooding back to them.

In the dead of night, in a mesmerizing vision filled with strange azure light and mist, the god of the swamp, the Frog King Umagi, came to them in a dream, and he spoke to them in a voice that thundered. "You have come of age, my children, and your devotion to my domain has not been forgotten. You both belong here, under my protection and guidance. Come to my shrine, and you will be rewarded; I will make you Wagai, and you will be wedded at my temple as prince and princess of the swamp."

Kye awoke that night with a racing heart. "Lani! Lani! I have seen..." She put a finger on his lips, and her face was white with fear. "I have seen it too, Kye. We mustn't tell anyone! Not our parents! Not even the elders!" He grabbed her hands in his own. "I will follow your will, Lani. If you wish to submit to this... vision, then I will protect us both on the journey. But you're right... no one else must know. This is an old magic, one that hasn't been felt in our land since the days of my father's father." Although he was filled with trepidation, a hidden longing had started to swell in his heart, and his own words reverberated in his mind. What did the Frog King truly intend? Would they really be blessed as royalty of that place, the wilderness which even as children they had called home? Of course, to ignore the summons of a nature god was unfathomable. Lani whispered fearfully. "The Wagai... aren't they river monsters? What if Umagi would damn our spirits with some... curse? It could be bad magic."

Indeed, they had both heard rumors of the Wagai; the river folk told frightening tales about creatures who were half human and half frog, monsters who lay in wait to ambush and drown trespassers in the murky depths. But Kye had also heard even older tales, ones suggesting that to join the Wagai was a high honor for any human, as it meant becoming one with the swamp and with the ghost of Umagi himself, immortal. "I don't know the truth, Lani. My mother once told me the bog spirits had gone extinct, driven away by the cities who corrupted the waters of the north. But I will tell you now, that my family has always believed in the elder guardians of Gaea, and Umagi is one of them. We can't treat this lightly."

For three days and nights, they agonized over the vision, until at last they made their choice. Even if it meant losing their humanity, if they were truly blessed by one of the gods of the earth, they would gain so much more. Besides, what would they be in some distant village? Starving fishermen or shepherds? Conscripts for some rice lord, sent out to some forlorn battlefield to die?

Umagi knew the desires of their hearts, and both of them felt a draw to the swamp, one which resonated in their souls. At mid-afternoon, dressed only in plain brown tunics with footwraps and deerskin shoes, they took flasks of water with them, and they tightened the leather on their walking sticks before slipping away into the darkening wetlands.

Eerie campfire stories warned travelers to follow the glow of fireflies to the heart of the glade, and so they did. Stepping quietly and tediously through the underbrush, a procession of pale, pulsing lights mysteriously guided them. Such was the will of Umagi. They had never gone this far into the marsh, and they were surrounded on all sides by dark, murky waters, pits of sludge covered in layers of green algae, countless tangled vines, and colorful plants of every shape and size.

It was no normal swamp. The spirits of Gaea who dwelled there made the trees and beasts grow unnaturally huge, and the very earth itself had the power to defend the wetland from intrusion. The swamp could make its own waters rise into torrents, fill its air with toxic fumes, or turn solid ground into bottomless wells of muck. Both Kye and Lani knew of the swamp's mortal dangers, but its perils were matched by its verdant beauty and serenity.

Even though they trespassed into the wetland under the Frog King's invitation, they were still doubly cautious. One wrong step, and they might plunge into a suffocating quagmire of black slime, which would eagerly slurp them down into its inescapable depths. Or, to try and cross one of the swamp's stinking, festering lakes of mud would be an act of suicide, as the umbra of the bog would engulf them both with poison and disease. Only true creatures of the wetwood, at one with the realm of Umagi, could traverse such hazards unscathed. For its children, the swamp wasn't a deathtrap, but an alluring, natural Eden... but until they reached the temple of the Frog King, they were still very much human, and they were outsiders in this place, subject to the whims of the mystical forces that swirled invisibly around them.

At last, when their flasks were nearly empty, after a half-day of tiresome picking and tiptoeing through the deadly swamp, the glow of the fireflies began to dim. There beyond the treeline, a wide clearing stretched outward, a glade filled with soft black mud, in the rear of which stood a startling display: statue ruins, a temple beset by twin columns, and a stone pedestal, upon which sat two unbroken altars of rough gray stone. Algae, moss, and vines covered nearly every surface of the shrine, making it seem ancient; but it towered over the swamp, crowned by mangroves, and not a single piece of stone was broken or sullied by time. In the center of the shrine behind the strange altars was a marvel that sent a flutter of fear into their hearts: a great monument in the shape of a frog, covered in algae. Its eyes were brilliant jade, untouched by swamp slime, and even from here, the beast seemed to stare into their souls. Kye shuddered, and he reached out for Lani's hand.

"We've found it Lani! The old shrine of the Wagai! This must be the temple of Umagi, as he showed us in the dream." Carefully, Kye stepped outward into the clearing, and his moccasins slipped into the soft mud. He stopped for a moment, cautious not to step into a pit of deadly quicksand; but the wet earth was only ankle deep. Lani stepped into the clearing alongside him, and she gazed up at the frog king's statue with awe.

"If we've made it here, Kye, then truly Umagi welcomes us. Few living souls must have ever seen this place with their own eyes." Slowly, they approached the shrine, padding through the sticky soil until they stepped upward, confronting the stone altars. The visage of Umagi was taller than both of them, and it loomed over them, making them feel unworthy.

Kye was exhausted, dripping with sweat, and thirsty, but at once he dropped to his knees, and he bowed his head before the statue. Lani followed his lead, clasping her hands together in reverence. Suddenly, the shrine rumbled and groaned, almost as if the stone frog was clearing its throat.

"Oh ho! Welcome, younglings of the southern village! Stand before me that I can see your faces!" A voice boomed across the glade with the temperance of a kindly old grandfather. Kye and Lani were both shocked; they looked around, expecting to find the source of the voice, but saw nothing.

Only then did Kye notice the jade eyes of Umagi sparkling with light, as if a hundred fireflies swarmed within them. With a gasp, he stood before the statue. Anxiously, he grabbed Lani's hand and thrust her to her feet; only then did she notice the stone figure's grinning face bearing down upon them.

"Great Frog King! We aren't worthy to grace the presence of your shrine!" Kye knew that it was in their best interest to stay humble in the presence of a nature god. Even one as friendly as Umagi. The Frog King seemed to smile, as if the rock itself had come to life. Kye was bewildered; what strange magic was this?

"Fear me not, friends of the swamp. You have seen my vision, yes? I visit the dreams of those whose destinies are tied to Gaea. And you have come! Through great peril you have walked my domain, and now you speak to Umagi as children speak to a father! I have much respect for you, Lani and Kye. Do you know the truth of why you have been summoned?"

Lani gathered her bravery, and she stepped forward, staring with wonder at the frog's glowing jade eyes. "Great Umagi, you've told us that we're to become your warriors, the Wagai, those who tread between the world of frogs and men. But we must be honest... although we welcome your offer, the thought frightens us, for we don't truly know what it means." Kye finished her thought. "Yes, oh King of Swamps, forgive me for saying so, but the people of our villages know only of the Wagai as creatures hungry to feast on our kind, drowning folk in the waters like the demons of legend."

At this, Umagi thundered with laughter. "Ho ho! Is that so! In an elder time when the men and women of your kind did not wish to cut down the mangroves, those of age came to me in the hottest seasons, begging to join the Wagai. They are warriors and guardians of my domain, living wild and free, apart from the world of men, but forgetting it not. Let me show you. Twist the youngest vine before my feet, and drink of the water which flows from it."

With trepidation, Kye found a bright emerald vine there at the base of the statue, as verdant as a mamba. With one motion, he twisted a knot and broke the vine's skin, revealing a bead of water. "Lani, here... we should do as Umagi commands." She grabbed the vine, and sucked a few drops of water from it, and Kye followed. Suddenly, their vision grew dark, and they were so startled they almost fainted. Before their eyes, the shrine melted away, replaced with a vivid illusion.

Kye expected to see a croaking horde of vicious, wart-covered frog beasts, but instead, the procession of the Wagai village unfolded before him. They were like a melding of frog and human indeed, but they were lithe and graceful, deftly leaping from log to stone, to and from the mud and the waters. They were unfettered; their bodies were painted with beautiful patterns of amber, azure, sun-yellow, and even blood red, and there wasn't a single disgusting wart among them. The Wagai were talking and laughing with each other, sharing fish, telling stories, even sparring and testing their skills in martial combat. He never could have imagined such a thing existed in this world. Before either of them could utter a single word, the vision vanished, and they were returned to the visage of Umagi before them.

Lani was first to speak, and her voice trembled with excitement. "King of the marsh! We hadn't fathomed your children would be this way! Our people couldn't be more wrong."

"Of course, my child." Umagi croaked with satisfaction. "And never before has there been a man and woman approaching me to join them on the night of their own union! That is why you will be called prince and princess among the Wagai, for your metamorphosis will be bonded by love. By the morning dawn, you will both be eager to live as spirits of the swamp."

Kye and Lani looked at each other wide-eyed and then bowed humbly before the statue. "Great Frog King. Forgive us for doubting your wisdom."

"Hah! I can see that I've chosen you wisely indeed! Humans whose hearts are close to the swamp are to be cherished. Did you imagine that old Umagi would curse younglings such as yourselves? My power is in the service of your own desires, even ones hidden deep in your souls! All you must do is let the mist of Gaea flow from my shrine, and you will awaken reborn before the light breaks the trees."

The two lovers looked at each other with concern before turning to face the frog shrine. “We're ready, father Umagi. Let us know what we must do," Kye commanded with as much courage as he could muster. Umagi spoke plainly. “Lay your bodies there upon my altars; thereupon will my magic be worked. But know that they are indeed altars of sacrifice, but not of blood. The only thing you will lose is your attachment to the vices of the human world, had you any before you came; your infatuation with gold and iron, the tedium of your mundane day-to-day errands, but yes, also the comfort of your village, and the love of the folk who dwell there. All will be washed away once you face the glory of my domain and become truly one with the swamp as its children. But, maybe, if more of your kind come to me, the Wagai can reconnect with the world they once lost."

They wasted no time. Cautiously, Kye took off his tunic, laying it on the cold stone before the altar. Sitting on the slimy marble, he discarded his mud-caked shoes and unwound the cloth wrappings on his feet, leaving them bare. He was left in nothing more than a breechcloth, with sweat from the swamp's oppressive heat beading on his chest and dripping down his matted brow. He watched as Lani did the same, leaving only a breechloth and the plain wrappings around her breasts; she removed the binding from her black hair, now filthy from their trek through the marsh, letting it hang around her shoulders.

"It's too late for us to have any regrets," Kye muttered softly to her. She smiled gently. "We spent our lives longing for the beauty of this place. We just hadn't the strength to make our dream a reality. May Umagi bless us." "May Umagi bless us," he returned. With that, they both laid back on the stone altars before the statue of the god, stretching out as comfortably as they they could, just as the last rays of the sun began to vanish behind the canopy of mangroves.

Kye and Lani laid quietly on the cool stone; their hearts were nearly skipping with anticipation. They hoped whatever was going to happen to them wouldn't be too painful, but they trusted the Frog King. Quietly, a mellow hissing noise filled the air, like a snake or a lizard near the base of the shrine... but then, as they craned their necks to find the source of the hiss, they noticed a billowing, tumultuous cloud of green mist erupting from the statue's mouth. Before they could react, the mist washed over the altar, coating their bodies with beads of greasy, olive-green film. It smelled like rotten old plants and sulfur, and they almost started to choke as the fog flooded into their lungs. Kye watched with terror as the oily film spread across his skin, arresting him, seeping into his very flesh. Every inch coated with the strange slime caused his skin to turn from bronze to green; the thin hairs on his arms wilted away, replaced with a bright aquamarine and emerald hide.

There was no pain, but his body nearly convulsed with a fiery, rapid, tingling sensation, like thousands of ants crawling over his skin. He tried to stay still, but he couldn't help but lift his hands in front of his face, only to see some of his own fingers slowly melt away, like clay being re-shaped by an unseen sculptor. His heart leaped into his throat at the sight, and he found himself nearly paralyzed with shock.

He struggled with all of his might to crane his head, fighting against his fear to witness his own transformation. Through the haze, Kye caught a glimpse of his own bare feet at the end of the stone slab meeting the same fate as his hands; his nails shrank away, and his toes began to merge eerily. That was enough. It was like a dream that he couldn't wake from, and he clamped his eyes shut, trying desperately to ignore the disturbing sensations wracking his body. The last thing Kye witnessed was Lani's face being twisted and contorted, her delicate features being replaced by something bestial and inhuman... and then, his vision mercifully faded to black.

The night passed, and the ringing buzz of swamp insects started to fill his head as Kye regained consciousness. The first thing he did was open his eyes, only to be met by a soft blur over his field of vision, like staring through wax paper. Quickly, the sheen vanished, and he realized it was his own instinct retracting what must have been a protective membrane. With his vision cleared, a forest-green snout protruded into his field of view. His heart started racing. Without even gazing upon the rest of his body, he knew then that he was no longer fully human. A flood of green color filled his vision, and he sat up at once on the grimy stone slab, gasping with surprise. The verdant foliage of the swamp, the mossy trees, the mud and brackish water everywhere in all its myriad shades of brown and olive; through his new eyes, everything seemed brighter and more alive. He took in a great gust of swamp air through his nostrils, and the sting of mushrooms and wild herbs cut through the musky odor of the fetid muck, far stronger than any human nose could experience; and just as keenly, the orchestra of buzzing insects, rustling leaves, and babbling water washed over his mind, more vibrant than it had ever been.

Instinctively he reached up and felt the side of his now-hairless head. His ears were gone, replaced by small and sensitive dimples, but his sense of hearing was even more potent than before. In fact, all of his senses were somehow enhanced, and he closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the sensation. He ran his pink tongue across the inside of his mouth, expecting to find no teeth there, but to his surprise, Kye felt rows of small, sharp teeth across his maw, although he imagined they were barely noticeable even if he opened his jaws wide. Their faces weren't completely inhuman. The Wagai were only half frog after all, and their snouts weren't quite as prominent as their wild cousins. They could smile, grimace, and smirk just as they could as humans. Also, as he glanced at Lani for a moment, he realized that their eyes weren't entirely frog-like; they didn't bulge awkwardly from the sides of their heads, but were instead crested with green bony brow ridges.

Another new and welcoming smell, like earthy musk and fresh eel, warm and pleasant, filled his nostrils, and he realized that it was Lani, her new form pulsing with pheromonal aroma. He turned to stare at his love, who was just now pushing herself off the stone with webbed, green hands; and then he held his own hands in front of him. Frog-Kye had grown a spread of translucent webbing between his four fingers, which he admired with excited curiosity. "How fast could I swim with these!" He blurted out, and Lani turned to him, still in shock at her own transformation. It seemed they could still speak, quite easily at that, and their voices hadn't changed, not even an octave.

With a soft flip-flap, he hopped off the altar onto his new feet, and he gawked at how they'd changed; they were larger now and with three toes instead of five. His toes held folds of green webbing between them just like his hands, and he marveled at the thought that he would never need to wear his moccasins, ever again. He wriggled his toes on the slimy stone, which was cool and comforting under his padded soles. As he stared at his legs and powerful, spring-loaded ankles, he was taken aback by how sinewy and streamlined his body had become.

In the back of his mind, he imagined being half frog would have granted him flabby skin and a bulging pot belly, but it was nearly the exact opposite. Kye was naturally fit before the change, but now, his arms and legs were taut with leathery muscle, and he felt like he could burst with animalistic strength. He ran his hands across his bare chest, in awe at his wiry but chiseled physique, and he glanced at Lani, noticing she shared the same athletic frame.

An odd sensation greased his fingers as he caressed his amphibian skin. As a human, the sweltering heat of the swamp had made him drenched with sweat; now, his perspiration glistened as a thin sheen of gel across his body. With two webbed fingers, he wiped a tiny bit of the slime off his chest, and he quickly discovered that he was completely coated in it; but it wasn't disgusting at all. It cut the heat of the swamp, keeping him cool and relaxed. He was completely and utterly hairless, and his skin was a smooth, deep forest green, like a frog, but zig-zagged here and there with wondrous aquamarine tiger stripes. Kye let out an awkward croak-laugh as he marveled at his own amphibian hide; it was beautiful and natural. His torso and belly were much more pale, almost white, just like a frog; somehow, he maintained his human-like nipples, only now they were tinged moss green rather than brown. His frog-wife, rather than being tattooed with stripes like his own, was mottled with bright orange-amber spots, which covered her arms, legs, and even her head and back, a magnificent pattern. For a brief moment he wondered if the slime on their skin held poison... even if it did, they were immune to it.

He noticed that Lani was enacting the same procession, poking and prodding herself, feeling under her arms, behind her neck, caressing the polished green flesh of her legs. She lifted one of her feet to her waist as she sat on the stone and massaged her toes, nail-less and clean. Kye trotted over to her and sat down on the altar next to her. He stared into her eyes, strangely still partly human, though touched with an amber hue like a creature of the swamp. She returned his gaze lovingly. "Lani... this is more than I could have ever imagined." He stopped to scan the canopy, once more taking in the blanket of smells and sounds engulfing them. They were as far from the human world as they could be, and yet, they never felt more at home. Kye's gaze quickly snapped back to her. "And you... you're more beautiful now than I've ever remembered," he murred. "How could we have had any doubt at this destiny?" Lani's cheeks turned almost pink, and she started to look away, but not from shame. "Kye... we can never return to our people. You know this... but," she remained resolute, "I couldn't imagine a life without you in this place. You are mine, and I am yours forever!"

Kye smiled and stared at his ankles, feeling the sheer muscular strength swell in his frog-man legs. He wondered how far he could jump. Satisfied in the reality of his transformation, he hopped off the stone table and then crouched, ready to leap; the muscles in his calves rippled, and his ankles locked with potential energy, even as his toes turned white with tension. In a tremendous launch, he leaped into the air, soaring nearly twenty feet from the shrine and landing in the center of the clearing with a wet splut, his bare feet squelching into the warm black muck. The frog-man yelped with excitement. “Woo-hoo! Did you see that Lani? I can soar like a bird through the air if I want!" Kye hopped deftly around the clearing, leaving satisfying three-toed footprints in the silky mud. He felt an exhilarating, otherworldly connection to the earth, as if he was entwined with the swamp just as vitally as any root or stem. In the center of the clearing, he whirled around to face his love. "Lani! Come see how the ground welcomes your new feet!"

With more trepidation than Kye, Lani gingerly stepped into the sinking earth, the mud oozing up past her green ankles, and a smile crept across her amphibian face. As Wagai, they were utterly in tune with the savagery of this wilderness, immune to its predatory defenses, its diseases, its stinging beasts... they were one with the swamp itself. Kye leaped over to her, plunging into the mud with a loud squelch, and then took her webbed hands in his own. He shot her a wry glance before hopping back to the center of the glade, standing confidently before her.

"We aren't true to the spirit of Umagi just yet. We should leave the last bits of the village behind and dress ourselves only in the air of the swamp, just as the Frog King's children would do." She croaked, understanding his meaning, and her heart fluttered at the thought of it. "Wait no longer then, Kye. I will follow you, and feel no shame in it."

With no further hesitation, the frog-man reached to his side and gently untied the straps of his breechcloth, letting it fall to the soft earth unceremoniously. He let out a quiet hiss as the moist swamp air flooded over him. Kye now stood completely naked, and he craned his neck to gaze at how he'd changed. His genitals were surprisingly still human-like, but sleeker and smoother, of course totally hairless, and protected by the same pale green amphibian skin of his belly.

Lani looked on, her mouth agape; involuntarily, her pink tongue flicked outward, licking the side of her face. Staring at her nude lover, she felt a primal, primitive instinct starting to swell in her gut. She wanted him more than she'd ever wanted him before, even when he was human. If they were to dwell in the marsh as unclothed, unburdened beasts, it would be a challenge for her to restrain her desire. Or should it even be restrained? They were no longer fully human... perhaps part of their new destiny was to embrace their more natural instincts, attuned to the pulse of the earth itself.

Lani's frog husband yelped with triumph, and he twirled around in the mud with an awkward dance. Kye never felt more natural and free... this is what Umagi had meant when he commanded them to live as spirits of the swamp. He started to laugh, but it turned into a guttural frog-like croak. For a moment he stood silent, shocked at his own frog-like voice, but then Lani joined in, until they were both caught together laugh-croaking at the revelry of it all. Finally, frog-Kye composed himself, and he stared at Lani, waiting. "I hope you aren't disappointed in how I look!" He puffed out his chest at her smugly. "But now it's your turn!"

His wife cautiously began to unwrap the plain covering of her top, unwinding the brown cloth until there was nothing left before dropping it into the mud. She stretched wide, arching her back, and she shot Kye a clever glance; the frog-man gulped, and his mouth dropped open. He felt his bare manhood growing harder as he gaped at Lani's half-naked form. Her breasts were tight and athletic, dressed in the same milky white frog skin that covered the rest of her belly, and her nipples, like his, had gone from a human shade to one of grassy green. He tried to compose himself, but it was impossible; his attraction to her was primal and uncontrollable. She slowly strutted towards him, squelching through the muck. "As a man, such a display might have been uncouth," she purred at him, gawking at his arousal. "But as a Wagai, I feel that it must be a sign of devotion." With that, she too pulled at the strap of her breechcloth, letting it fall to the ground, revealing herself fully to him. She sighed with relief at the warm swampy air tingling her nude body. The feeling of being totally free from the confines of human modesty... here in the swamp, it was like her life had begun anew.

Frog-Lani drew even closer, and Kye was too awestruck to move; she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he could barely contain himself. He lunged forward, grabbing her bare, smooth buttocks, and they embraced, relishing the feeling of their slimy, amphibian bodies sliding against each other. He moaned at the sensation, and then without thinking, he locked his mouth over Lani's in a sensuous kiss, as best as a frog-folk could muster; his slippery tongue wrapped around hers as he closed his eyes, and they were both driven wild with passion. For a few moments they were stuck together, strings of spittle peeling away from their mouths, their bodies dripping with slick perspiration. She stopped to breath, staring him in the eyes with total devotion. They stayed cradled together for a moment before she stood apart, letting his hands fall away.

"Lani..." he didn't really know what to say. This was all too much for Kye. "Shhh," she quieted him. "I'm not finished with young Kye just yet. I want to see what else my frog tongue can taste."

Kye's eyes widened as his amphibian lover slowly knelt in the mud, positioning herself at his waist. With a globule of sticky saliva, she snaked out her pink frog-like tongue, wrapping it gently around his milky shaft and perfectly smooth balls. He bit his lip and curled his toes deeper into the mud as she slurped over him loudly. He bucked involuntarily and let out a half-croaking yelp of sheer pleasure; her soft, supple mouth nearly brought tears of ecstasy to his eyes. He was on the verge of releasing himself when she finally stopped, retracting her soft tongue back into her maw, gooey strands of clear slime dripping from his member as she did. His knees almost buckled, and it took all of his endurance to compose himself.

Finally, Lani stood, and she softly embraced him once more, clutching his rear to draw him closer. "Hmm, your frog skin tastes like salt and seaweed," she croaked with a sly grin. He huffed and puffed, trying to catch his breath. "I bet you're even worse!" he quipped. Lani cocked her head. "Maybe soon you'll find out." Suddenly, it struck them. Their childhoods had at last melted away; he had become a man, and she had become a woman, confident, natural, and strong, and even more-so with the blessings of Umagi.

"Tonight I will make you mine," Kye exclaimed. They both turned to peer at the unexplored wetland beyond the shrine's glade. "The swamp will accept us now as its children. No longer are we subject to the bog's vengeance. If we're to have our first night together as Wagai... it should be in the embrace of our new home." Lani nodded in agreement. For a few minutes longer, they stood in awe of the marsh, letting its color and natural drama unfold before them. And then, without another word, Kye took her by the hand, and the two frog-folk stalked through the mist beyond the trees, leaving a trail of inhuman footprints behind them.

There was almost no solid ground to step upon. Patches of soil rose around the bases of the trees, and short bridges of soft, overgrown earth dotted the swamp here and there, but these were only between vast stretches of brackish, algae-covered water, which often gave way to huge pits of gurgling black mud and muck.

As humans, Kye and Lani had been careful to step only on solid earth as they crept through the wetland, but as newly reborn Wagai, they were almost too eager to slosh into the slimy waters. Kye enthusiastically plunged his webbed feet into fresh ponds of algae, taking great fascination at how his bare legs cut through the slime effortlessly. As a man, his moccasins would have been trapped at the bottom of the swamp like being caught in pine sap, but as a half frog, the syrupy muck released his bare feet with no protest.

Lani followed behind him closely, sometimes overtaking him, as Kye frequently splashed into unexpectedly deep pools of swamp water, sometimes even up to his naval, and had to regain his footing. Yet, they both found themselves delighted at the feel of the warm, sun-heated marsh upon their nude amphibian skin.

After a short time, Kye pulled himself out of the endless pond to rest atop a rotted log, letting his toes dangle back into the algae. Lani sat beside him; they were both caked with black dirt, peat, green slime, and flecks of moss and detritus, but they loved every second of it.

"The gift Umagi has given us... Lani, it's almost too much to take in. Do you think the Wagai village will be as a carefree as we are in this very moment?" Kye mused.

"In the vision, they seemed perfectly happy. And when we join their tribe, it will already be as husband and wife. I'm sure they will welcome us with celebration!" Lani chirped excitedly. Kye sighed with relief. "You're right, Lani... there aren't many of their kind left. I hope our presence will bring them respite."

They sat on the log for a few moments, holding their webbed hands and absentmindedly sloshing the water with their feet. A pair of buzzing dragonflies flitted above their oasis, and without warning, Lani lashed out her sticky frog-like tongue, snapped one of them out of the air and gulping it down with a single crunch. She closed her eyes, seemingly pleased with herself. Kye looked at her with shock. "Did... did you mean to do that?"

Lani croaked. "Yes! I mean... maybe... I saw the dragonfly, and I was hungry, but my tongue acted all on its own. Why don't you try?" For whatever reason, whether it was mere instinct or the mystical power of Umagi taking hold of his rationale, Kye wasn't the least bit disgusted. He tracked the second dragonfly, which hovered just overhead for a split second, and then with a loud whap, his tongue snapped the insect out of the air. The frog-man swallowed it with a single chew, and then he looked at Lani with wide eyes. "Tastes like the roasted locusts my uncle would sometimes bring to camp during hunting season. I could eat these every day!"

Lani chuckled. "Be careful what you wish for! To be honest I hope the Wagai have plenty of fresh fish in their village!"

The two frog-folk slopped back into the green waters and continued their journey, snaking and slipping through the swamp while making only the lightest of sounds. "Are we headed to the Wagai territory this late? It'll be dark soon," Lani whispered behind Kye.

"We'll reach the village in the morning... for now, I'm looking for the perfect spot. The oasis of our honeymoon." Lani blushed, if frogs could do such a thing. She trusted his judgment.

Eventually, the waters started to thin, until the two Wagai were treading only up to their knees. Before them, the green algae no longer coated the quiet surfaces of pond water, but instead it concealed oozing lakes of mud and muck; this was the primal, dark heart of the swamp. Kye stopped at the edge of a vast expanse of black filth, and Lani stepped out of the water beside him, only to sink up to her knees in slimy mud. She let out a soft wheeze, and she squelched her legs up and down in the muck; to her half amphibian sensibilities, it felt luxurious and inviting, and she chirped with delight at the silky sensation of the mud on her smooth skin.

Broken ends of dead logs and fallen trees stuck out of the mire here and there, covered in moss. It was an ocean of swamp sludge almost as far as the eye could see, but there were still tufts of reeds, lilies, and bulbous green plants all around, hiding the depths from prying eyes. Kye let out a deep sigh at what he was about to do. Before he'd become Wagai, he daydreamed about what it'd feel like to let the swamp simply engulf him, to become one with its depths... but he knew that such a thing could prove deadly for any human who dared try it. Now, they would both give themselves fully to it, and to themselves.

Kye stepped gingerly into the slurping mud, and it oozed up past his knee, then up to his thigh; his second webbed foot followed, until he stood nearly waist deep in the black muck. He closed his eyes and stood silently for a moment as the mire sucked at his bare skin. He took a few steps into the morass, and the pitch black mud crept up to his waist, greedily kissing his manhood, which by now was as stiff as a board. It was as if the swamp itself wanted to make love to him.

Slowly, he slid deeper into the sludge, his genitals disappearing under the surface, followed by his naked buttocks. Kye let out a low, steamy croak of pleasure and excitement... he never imagined the bog would feel this good. The mud bubbled and burped along the pale skin of his belly as he sank deeper with each step. His smooth, slimy hide let him slip cleanly through the mire, but as the mud pressed in around him, even his powerful Wagai legs were starting to tire.

In only a few moments, Kye felt the the mud ooze over his nipples, and he huffed with bliss... the swampy muck seeped into every crack and crevice of his naked body, tickling his skin like a hundred massaging fingers. He lowered his webbed hands into the mud, letting himself almost float in the center of the pit, surrounded by a ring of bright green lily pads. Frog-Kye turned to face Lani, who stood at the banks of the quagmire, watching him anxiously. "You see?" He yelled out to her from the center of the bog. "The domain of Umagi welcomes me as one of its own. We could make our home here in the mud if we wished. Instead of certain death, it would be like paradise."

Lani let out a sigh of relief as her husband floated happily in the mud, almost neck deep. It was clear that he was in no danger of being swallowed, and she was suddenly, almost instinctively, desperate to join him. But she wouldn't take her time. She bent her muscled Wagai legs, feeling the tension build in her ankles like a coiled spring, and with a mighty leap, she shlorped out of the muddy bank and rocketed through the air, only to plunge into the center of the pit next to him with a loud splut. The black mud instantly enveloped her, slurping over her green skin and breasts, and her catapult sent a wave of splattering glop cascading over Kye's face. She wasn't prepared for the tingling, tantalizing sensation of the swamp muck as it sucked at her skin and oozed into her slit. Lani let out a loud, startled moan of pleasure, which quickly turned into a guttural croak. Kye couldn't help but laugh as he wiped the mud from his eyes. Embarrassed, she shuddered in the bog before quickly composing herself, although she still wasn't quite accustomed to the sensual feeling of being nude and completely engulfed in the slime.

"Why... why does it feel this way?" she stammered. "It tickles my skin all over, like the tongues of countless licking dogs... Kye... does the swamp make love to you too?" At that, he let out a hearty croaking guffaw. "My love, we're children of the swamp now," he answered dryly. "Umagi's earth soaks its way into our skin, healing and rejuvenating us. That's half of the mud's pleasure." Her face lit up with realization. "Then what's the other half?" she asked with a clever smirk. "I told you that I would show you... let me keep my promise," he jested.

Slowly, the frog-man lowered himself deeper into the stinking bog, letting the black mud ooze over his bright green shoulders. He stopped just before his snout hit the surface, and then in one quick motion, he dove underneath the slime with a gentle blurp. Lani knew what he was up to, and she closed her eyes in anticipation, relishing the feeling of the warm-and-cool muck embracing her.

Completely submerged in the mud, Kye was thrust into a dark, comforting cocoon. Crouching even deeper in the pit, he found his lover's belly with his hands and drew her closer to him; Lani let herself slide through the filth. She was his to command. Beneath the sludge, Kye buried his snout into her groin, and then he slipped his slimy tongue through the swamp and into her sheath. He heard her muffled cry of pleasure even above the surface as his soft pink tongue swirled in her warmth; her juices mixed with the earthy mud, forming a bittersweet potion of rich soil and salt. He'd lost count of how many minutes had passed, and a sudden fear of drowning crept into his mind even as he pleasured her... but then he realized that his lungs weren't burning. He didn't need to breathe at all. Deep in the mud, his amphibian hide soaked away the ether of the watery earth, sustaining him; a true blessing of the Frog King.

Once his tongue started to ache a bit, Kye pulled himself away, and he sat cross-legged at the bottom of the swamp, eyes still closed. As the thick, slimy mud oozed and undulated around him, he felt truly at peace with the bog, as if the swamp's energy flowed through his very being. Above the surface, Lani had already guessed at the truth of their extraordinary water-breathing ability, and she waited patiently for him to surface, so that she could share her passion with him once more.

With a satisfying blorp, Kye finally burst above the top of the muck. He was completely coated in a thick layer of sludge, almost unrecognizable. By now, twilight had started to fall on the bog, and rows of fireflies started their dance around them; the swamp's magic pierced their hearts.

"Kye, my perfect one... you gave me your gift. Now we must complete our union." Before he could speak, Lani clasped her scum-slicked arms around his chest, and then, underneath the mud, she wrapped her powerful legs around his waist, locking him in an inescapable embrace. "We give ourselves now to the swamp, in soul and body, forever," Lani whispered.

"Umagi bless us," Kye returned. With that, the Wagai couple plunged themselves beneath the surface, the peaty mud slopping over their heads. She held her frog lover even tighter beneath the sludge, and with no further delay, he drove his slime-coated member inside her. She bucked with ecstasy, and he thrust himself into her again and again with the fury of a swamp beast. They let their human inhibitions peel away, embracing their carnal, prehistoric instincts; their powerful amphibian bodies writhed together in the bog, and they were consumed with savage heat and pleasure. Their hearts thundered with the thrumming of Gaea, and the very swamp itself seemed to pulse with the rhythm of their mating. Just as they felt themselves ready to explode with passion, Kye rocketed his seed inside her, and their bodies melted with relaxation.

The two frog lovers loitered at the bottom of the bog for awhile, comforted in their own warm embrace, letting the soft mud coddle and caress their nude bodies. Eventually, they slowly let themselves float to the surface, and their frog-like faces emerged, completely caked with muck; but in that moment, they couldn't feel more alive.

Lani leaned back into Kye's filth-soaked arms, and he cradled her gently. "We should rest here tonight, in the heart of the swamp," he whispered. "Now that we've given our love to Umagi's domain, we'll be safe from all danger." Lani reached down into the mud and casually caressed his loins; she never imagined Kye would bring such intense pleasure to her as a Wagai. Their lives would be filled with wild passion from this night forward. The frog-man let out a soft sigh as he felt his arousal start to throb once more.

"Tomorrow we'll make way for our new home, but there are miles of this wilderness to explore. Who knows what other treasures we'll find along the way," Lani purred.

After nearly an hour of gazing at the wonder of the fireflies dancing in the night sky, their eyelids started to grow heavy, and the two lovers slipped away, nestled in a paradise for frogs. At last, they were true spirits of the swamp.